Maintaining and Improving Habitat for Hummingbirds in Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota

United States Department of Agriculture Maintaining and Improving Habitat for Hummingbirds in Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota A Land Manager’s Guide Forest Service National Headquarters Introduction Hummingbirds play an important role in the food web, pollinating a variety of flowering plants, some of which are specifically adapted to pollination by hummingbirds. Some hummingbirds are at risk, like other pollinators, due to habitat loss, changes in the distribution and abundance of nectar plants (which are affected by climate change), the spread of invasive plants, and pesticide use. Rufous Hummingbird nest This guide is intended to help you provide and improve Courtesy of Martin Hutten habitat for hummingbirds, as well as other pollinators, in Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota. While hummingbirds, like all birds, have the basic habitat needs of food, water, shelter, and space, this guide is focused on providing food— the plants that provide nectar for hummingbirds. Because climate, geology, and vegetation vary widely in different areas, specific recommendations are presented for each ecoregion in Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota. (See the Ecoregions in Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota section, below.) This guide also provides brief descriptions of the species that visit Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota, as well as some basic information about hummingbird habitat needs. Whether you’re involved in managing public or private lands, large acreages or small areas, you can make them attractive to our native hummingbirds. Even long, narrow pieces of habitat, like utility corridors, field edges, and roadsides, can provide important connections among larger habitat areas. Hummingbird Basics The hummingbird species of Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota are migratory, leaving in August to go to the wintering grounds in Mexico and returning to the US in April and May. Black-chinned, Calliope, Rufous and Broad-tailed hummingbirds breed in Idaho and Mon- tana, while the Ruby-throated Hummingbird breeds in Eastern North Dakota. For hummingbird species to thrive, they need to find suitable habitat all along their migration routes, as well as in their breeding, nesting, and wintering areas. Even small habitat patches along their migratory path can be critical to the birds by providing places for rest and food to fuel their journey. Wildflowers in meadow. Courtesy of Marguerite Meyer 2 Maintaining and Improving Habitat for Hummingbirds in Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota Food Hummingbirds feed by day on nectar from flowers, including annuals, perenni- als, trees, shrubs, and vines. Native nectar plants are listed in the table near the end of this guide. They feed while hovering or, if possible, while perched. They also eat insects, such as fruit-flies and gnats, and will consume tree sap, when it is available. They obtain tree sap from sap wells drilled Western columbine—Aquilegia formosa in trees by sapsuckers and other hole-drill- Courtesy of Gary A. Monroe ing birds and insects. USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database Water Hummingbirds get adequate water from the nectar and insects they consume. However, they are attracted to running water, such as a fountain, sprinkler, birdbath with a mister, or waterfall. In ad- dition, insect populations are typically higher near ponds, streams, and wet- land areas, so those areas are important food sources Mountain stream. for hummingbirds. Courtesy of Marguerite Meyer Hummingbird Species in Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota Following are brief descriptions of the hummingbird species most commonly found in Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota, as well as a list of other species that are uncom- mon or rare visitors. Maintaining and Improving Habitat for Hummingbirds in Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota 3 Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) RANGE—Black-chinned Hummingbirds occur in two Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs) in Idaho and Montana, which are BCR’s 9 and 10, and do not occur anywhere in North Dakota. (See the Bird Con- servation Regions section, below.) They are relatively common summer breeding residents throughout Idaho and the western edge of Montana, though occurring only transiently through central Idaho. In winter, they reside in the lowlands of western Mexico. They are most common in areas below 6000 feet and inhabit a variety of habitats associated with water (less than 1/2 mile), including canyons and gulches, ripari- Black-chinned—male Courtesy of Scott Carpenter an corridors, oak and cottonwood, and urban settings. NESTING—Habitat includes canyons or floodplain riparian communities, especially near sycamore or cottonwood. In urban areas, they prefer settings with tall trees and many flowering shrubs and vines. After breeding, they may move to more elevated mountain habitats to feed on nectar-producing flowers. Many will move or stay in urban areas, where flowering plants and feeders are attractive. Typically arriving in April, they migrate south in August. APPEARANCE—Unlike other North American hummingbirds, the wingtips of the Black-chinned Hummingbird look relatively broad and curved when the bird is at rest. While hovering, they pump their tail almost constantly. The adult male is dull green to emerald green above, pale gray to whitish below, becoming dull green on the sides. It has a velvety black gorget with an iridescent purple band below; the purple band can look black in poor light. White on the breast extends around the sides of the neck, contrasting strongly with the all-dark head. The central two tail feathers are green; the others are black, often with a purplish sheen. The adult female is dull green to golden green above and pale gray below. The sides are gray-green and often have a tawny or cinnamon-colored patch on the lower flank. The throat of the female can be unmarked or have dusky streaking or spotting in the center of the gorget. The tail is greenish or blackish, with the three outer pairs of tail feathers broadly tipped with white. Immature birds look similar Black-chinned—female to adult females; refer to a field Courtesy of Scott Carpenter guide for more information. 4 Maintaining and Improving Habitat for Hummingbirds in Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) RANGE— Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are the only hummingbirds that breed in eastern North America, including southern Canada from Newfoundland to just west of the Alberta-British Columbia border. They occur regularly in 38 eastern states but only rarely as vagrants in the western U.S. By mid-October nearly all ruby-throats migrate to central Mexico or Central America as far south as western Panama, returning to Gulf Coast states as early as February before dispersing northward. Migration routes are not well-understood; some ruby-throats have been observed in trans-Gulf migration, but it is likely others migrate overland through Mexico. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds show remarkable site fidelity; banded individuals have been captured in the same nesting areas for as many as nine years, and recent studies have shown similar site fidelity on the species’ wintering grounds in Costa Rica and Belize. Although small numbers of ruby-throats historically overwintered in southern Florida and on the Gulf Coast, in recent winters they have become increasingly common northward to North Carolina’s Outer Banks and, in some cases, even at inland locales Ruby-throated Hummingbird—male in the southern U.S. (Most winter hum- Courtesy of Hugh Vandervoort mingbirds in the eastern U.S. are western species, especially Rufous Hummingbirds.) With their vast distribution across North and Central America, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are arguably the most abundant of all 340-plus hummingbird species. As opportunistic non-specialists, their populations appear stable or on the increase. NESTING— Ruby-throats are birds of the edge; the female typically builds her nest near an open area on a downward-angled branch, some- times overhanging water. They are far more common in hardwoods than in coniferous forests, from sea level to at least 6,000 feet in the Appalachian Mountains. Because of the density of green vegetation in the eastern U.S., Ruby-throated Hummingbird—female Ruby-throated Hummingbird nests are Courtesy of Hugh Vandervoort Maintaining and Improving Habitat for Hummingbirds in Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota 5 often less obvious (and more poorly studied) than those for western hummingbirds. Nests have been reported in deciduous and evergreen trees at heights from eye level to 60 feet above ground. Habitat includes woodland and riparian communities in eastern North Dakota. In urban areas, they prefer settings with tall trees and many flowering shrubs and vines. Many will move or stay in urban areas, where flowering plants and feeders are attractive. Typically arriving in April, they migrate south in August. APPEARANCE— The adult male Ruby-throated Hummingbird’s bright metallic red gorget gives the species its name. Adult males also have iridescent green backs, dark flanks, and forked tails with pointed dark feathers. Females of any age are green- backed and all white beneath, including the throat; tips of the outer three tail feathers are rounded and white. Immature (first year) males resemble females—including the tail; their throats may be all white, streaked in green or black, and/or with one or more red feathers. Although adult males of some other western North American species have metallic red gorgets (e.g., Broad-tailed Hummingbirds), they should not be called or confused with “ruby-throats.” Female ruby-throats are up to 25% larger than males. Both sexes have straight black bills. Because all Ruby-throated Hummingbird colors except white and black are iridescent, even individual birds will look different as light conditions change. Calliope Hummingbird (Selasphorus calliope) The Calliope Hummingbird is the smallest breeding bird in North America and is the smallest long-distance avian migrant in the world. Calliope Hummingbirds occur in BCRs 9 and 10 in Idaho and Montana, and do not occur in North Dakota.

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